Recruits, alumni, beads, gold helmets: Sights and sounds from the Notre Dame spring game

In a way, it doesn’t mean too much.

On Saturday, Notre Dame football took the field for the 91st annual Blue-Gold Game, a final scrimmage which closes down spring practice, serves as somewhat of a reunion for fans, and showcases a bit of what the Irish have been doing for the last few weeks.

The fans poured into Notre Dame Stadium after a morning of tailgating to watch quarterback Drew Pyne throw for both teams in the absence of Tyler Buchner and to see new faces like freshman running back Jadarian Price and transfer safety Brandon Joseph. The teams were “drafted,” but they were relatively evenly matched.

This year’s crowd was 33,754, which makes sense given it was an uncharacteristically warm day in South Bend. Add in a new head coach who has the fanbase buzzing? Yeah, you’re going to get a few faces in the stands.

During pregame warmups, the perimeter of the field looked less like a college football sideline and more like a Notre Dame version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Current players unable to participate in the game, recruits, and coaches’ families mingled about while popular songs blasted through the Notre Dame Stadium sound system. Those injured members of the team who were under the tutelage of Blue Team head coach Al Washington for the afternoon wore navy shirts that said “In Wash We Trust.”

“From what I heard, that was all Tommy (Rees),” Washington said after the game with a smile. “We had fun with it.”

In the corner of the end zone stood 297 former players — yes, this was the final count — on hand to see the game. Everyone from Hall of Famer Aaron Taylor to 16 Irish players currently in the NFL, including defensive lineman Khalid Kareem and wide receiver Ben Skowronek, who just played in the Super Bowl. The winningest quarterback in program history, Ian Book, was also present.

Head coach Marcus Freeman’s children stood with his wife, Joanna, donning green and gold beads and shamrock and “ND” tattoos on their cheeks, their smiles as wide as the video board which looms over the south end zone.

The players ran out wearing those famous gold helmets as one of college football’s most iconic bands played their typical set of tracks. The attendees rose to their feet.

A young girl in the stands, who looked to be around 4 years old, yelled out that the helmets were “cool!” and said she wanted to “root for the green team,” otherwise known as the Notre Dame offensive line unit, who wore the green jerseys.

Also in the stands, seats which are usually occupied by the elite of the elite in the Notre Dame community were peppered with first-time visitors and small children.

“It was a much better view for the kids,” a man from Columbus, Ohio said. “My 12 year old has been trying to get the attention of Marcus Freeman. He almost did it. He also got some autographs earlier.”

A few minutes later, the aforementioned boy walked by holding a replica gold helmet of his own with a few signatures from players he likely idolizes. A boy around his same age stood at the railing yelling out to Buchner, who was around 15 feet away from him. He wore a No. 12 jersey, just like Buchner does.

The non-general admission tickets, which allowed fans to sit near the 50-yard line behind the iconic yellow mums, went for around $60 in some secondary markets. It’s a lofty price for a spring scrimmage but perhaps the only up-close-and-personal view some fans will have a chance to get in their lifetimes.

“We bought these seats for this game because we usually sit all the way up there,” a Texas man said, gesturing to the corner seats on the upper level. “These were cheap!”

A couple from Michigan had the same idea.

“So we can say we sat on the 50-yard line at Notre Dame Stadium,” the husband said with a smile when asked why he paid extra for a game that ultimately has little meaning.

“Because we love the Irish!” his wife added.

Families from Pennsylvania and North Carolina also sat front and center. Of course, there were a few South Bend natives mixed into the pack.

Once the game started, cheering reminiscent of those Saturdays under a blue-gray October sky broke out. Given the questions at quarterback and receiver, most fans’ eyes seemed to be on those groups. Frustration was evident when Pyne threw two interceptions to Jordan Botelho and Marist Liufau, picks which normally would have led to roars of joy. When wideouts burned corners, the fans were excited, even though it was their corners being burned.

A red-faced leprechaun, dressed head to toe in green on a hot day, led a “BLUE” and “GOLD” chant, the one that is “GO” and “IRISH” on a normal game day. Special teams coordinator Brian Mason walked briskly in the background of the commotion, signaling to his players who among them would be next to take the field as part of the punt return team.

The scrimmage carried on, as Freeman stood on the field behind the referee and umpire for a large portion of the game. He was “mic’d up” for some plays as well, so fans watching via NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, got an idea of how their new head coach was approaching the event.

First-stringers to walk-ons cycled in and out as fans stayed as engaged as ever despite little offense. The clock ran in the second half, so the last 30 minutes went by quite quickly as the sun continued to beat down on Notre Dame Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Steve Angeli marched the Gold Team down the field on a final drive. He scrambled for a score as time expired, and tens of thousands of Irish fans exploded with excitement for the newcomer before slowly beginning to file out of the stadium. They will return on Sept. 10 when Notre Dame hosts Marshall for the second game of the 2022 season.

It is often said that a visit to Notre Dame Stadium is more than a few hours spent watching a football game. Just ask the fans of visiting teams who make the pilgrimage of sorts each year, often wearing their red or orange and drowning out the navy and green of the Notre Dame fans, much to the Irish faithful’s dismay. But Saturday showed it’s an experience for the Notre Dame fans themselves, too.

Former Irish great and current Notre Dame student Jerome Bettis narrated the pregame video. If there’s anyone that knows Notre Dame, it’s him, and the luster of the famed program does not appear to get old for him either.

“Notre Dame doesn’t recruit,” Bettis said just before Saturday’s kickoff. “It beckons.”

Sure, on the field, the Blue-Gold Game means little. Few will remember the final score was 13-10. But to that middle school boy in the Buchner jersey or that little girl pulling for the “green team,” it surely meant much more.

See you Sept. 10.